barrett: 155 months old

 

Barrett had a fun Easter!  Sometimes I think my kids are getting too old to enjoy an Easter basket, but when they asked if we were doing them this year, and an egg hunt, I knew we had to keep it going.  The Easter bunny delivered the usual favorites (Cadbury creme eggs, mini eggs, Twix) and a Monster drink!  We moved the egg hunt indoors because it's always a race against the ants.  The Easter bunny even included some dollar bills in the eggs to make the hunt that much more competitive! 

Barrett also had an art show, which was awesome!  He and some friends worked on a ship in the water, and Barrett was in charge of blending the water.  He did a great job!  He also got his braces removed.  He had braces twice, and is now free of them, and is getting retainers tomorrow.

Likes: Memaw's Easter bunny cake, getting rid of his braces

Dislikes: STAAR testing coming up

200 months old

Easter came super late this year, a whole 3 weeks after spring break!  We went to London and Paris for spring break and had the best time ever.  We've been to London before, but it was right before a cruise and rushed, so this time we got to stroll around and see what we missed before.  We even got to go see Matilda at its original theatre!  In Paris, we did the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, because of course, and then went to Disneyland Paris.  It's not my favorite of the Disney parks, but was a cool experience to see their castle and their versions of my favorite rides.  Britton was exhausted by the time we left to head home, and was glad to see her own bed!

Likes:  when softball practice ends early

Dislikes: the blister on her toe

 

barrett: 154 months old

 

While it feels like we've got all the time in the world, in fact Barrett's 13th! birthday is fast approaching in May and I'm not ready!  First off, I can't believe I'm about to have 2 teenagers.  Second, he wants a party that isn't a pool party at the house, so that involves planning and calling and scheduling and sending out invites, and he's now past the point of "party themes" so I'm trying to figure out decorations and a cake without a theme guiding me.

Barrett had his 7th grade art show tonight!  He made a model of a ship with a group, and was in charge of blending the paint for the waves.  He did a great job!  He's decided to take Art 3 next year, which is a high school fine art credit.

Likes: plain white tee shirts, that we planned ahead and bought 2 pairs of glasses (he broke his in Paris)

Dislikes: taking Poppy on walks - she doesn't listen!

199 months old

 

I promise I will catch up!  March has flown by, and while I got pictures late, I've also been quite lazy about getting them into a post.  That's on me!  We are firmly in the middle of the second half of Britton's junior year, and I just know that I should enjoy this time, as senior year, by all accounts, is a logistical nightmare of college deadlines and choices, harder classes, and transition overall.  But we're not there yet!  

Britton's softball season is officially halfway through, and she will finish up in April.  We have NCL's Senior Recognition this weekend, which we've never attended in our 5 years of NCL so far.  Because we're the junior class we help out, but we'll also get to enjoy the gala.  As class president, Britton is doing the invocation, which of course she has no worries about, because she doesn't fear public speaking like her mother!

Likes:  softball, feeding Ginger the stray cat, hanging out with her friends

Dislikes: weird tan lines from softball, AP Biology

barrett: 153 months old

 

Almost a month late posting??  Yes, February was brutal.  How can it be the hardest and shortest month of the year?  We're off the high and bustle of the holidays, but just a month away from spring break.  And everyone in this house needs the break.  We lost my mom on February 17th - "Cammy" as she was known to her grandkids.  We all went to her service and I did the eulogy, and Barrett looked so handsome in a tie.  

198 months old

 
                                         

Posting late because that's just how February was!  I was out of town for Valentine's Day because my mom had surgery, so I don't have any fun photos.  Britton has been trucking away at softball this season, playing first and showing the freshmen how it's done.  We went to see "Beauty and the Beast" and absolutely loved it!

barrett: 152 months old

 

Going back to school this week has been rough on everyone, especially Barrett.  He absolutely loved loafing around over Christmas break, with no demands on his time other than playing, riding bikes with friends, and trying out the new Madden 26 video game.  I feel his pain - I may have shed a tear or two on my early commute Monday morning.  He did have a great time at Disney World before Christmas, and discovered a love of roller coasters!  We tried out Slinky Dog, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Cosmic Rewind.  Unfortunately, my favorite Big Thunder was down for renovations.  He and the hubs were also the only ones willing to risk getting soaked on the new Tiana ride (previously Splash Mountain).  

Likes: Planet Coaster - a video game where you can create roller coasters

Dislikes: going to bed at a reasonable time now that school is back in session